


Unfamiliar

by Frozenleaf



Series: Lonashipping Tumblr Prompts [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: F/M, Tumblr Prompts, angst just pure angst im sorry guys, crossposting from tumblr, ultrabeast!moon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-22 22:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23001367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frozenleaf/pseuds/Frozenleaf
Summary: Gladion knew Moon, and the creature standing before him should not- could not- be her. But what if she was?
Relationships: Gladio | Gladion/Moon
Series: Lonashipping Tumblr Prompts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653031
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	Unfamiliar

**Author's Note:**

  * For [miraimisu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraimisu/gifts).



> thanks mirai for reblogging this fic on tumblr which reminded me i had to put it somewhere easier to find. this one's still totally on you. Prompts were: “I have to go, don’t you dare follow me.”/“Don’t you dare touch her!” so i mean obvious angst unfolded

Sirens blared in Gladion's ears as he quickly strode through the too-pristine corridors of the Aether Labs. Wicke led the way, quickly muttering something into her comms device as she brought him through a familiar hallway. How she managed to hear anything over the alarms, Gladion didn't know, but right now, he didn't care.

"Here." Wicke spared him a glance over her shoulder as she stopped in front of a nondescript door, worry creasing her brow. "Are you sure you want to-"

"No," Gladion answered tersely. Anything more and he wouldn't be able to contain the sickening feeling twisting in his gut since he heard _she_ 'd awakened, would probably collapse and be useless and that wasn't what they needed now.

It wasn't what she needed now.

Wicke's comforting smile was weak, and Gladion wasn't able to muster up the strength to return it. With a final nod at Wicke, he stepped forward, slid his ID card on the automated lock, and pushed open the door.

And stepped straight into hell.

The room was dark, colored only by the flashing lights from the sirens. A few lab technicians and their Pokemon lay groaning on the floor, while others surrounded a creature that stood in the middle of the room. Even with one leg chained to the floor, she still swiped at the people next to her, screaming and hissing at the crowd.

One particularly brave man moved to approach, and Gladion could see the familiar glint in her eye, could see her plan taking shape-

"Don't you dare touch her!"

The technician stopped, just in time to avoid the swipe of her claws. And they were claws, long and sharp, emerging out of a human-like form, a familiar, human-like face. But her eyes were golden now, her hair streaked with flowing lines of amber. She narrowed her eyes, pulled herself upright as she crossed her arms over the thin lab dress that she now wore.

"Hello, Gladion."

Gladion's throat caught at the sound of her voice- rasping and soft, and not at all the full and joyful sound he remembered.

"Moon... is that you?"

The creature hesitated, and the way she tilted her head and shifted her feet was so much like _her_ that Gladion's heart skipped a beat. It was just like the preliminary tests said- it _was_ her. Except something else was in there, mixed up with who she was. Something had happened to Moon.

_And the last time he saw her, she was standing in front of the Ultra Wormhole, biting her lip the way she always did when she was nervous. Flashing him a comforting smile before she kissed him on the cheek. Teasingly, like she always did, totally unaware of the way his heart skipped a beat whenever she did so. She had hugged him and said,_

" _I have to go. Don't you dare follow me."_

_"Wouldn't dream of it," he had said. "Come back safe."_

And now those words taunted him as he stared at what became of her.

The knot in his chest was so tight it was hard to breathe. The rest of his staff ringed around him nervously, and Gladion had half a mind to run away, to close the door and pray this was just a nightmare.

But then he took a step forward, and told the others, "Leave."

"Mr President, sir-"

Gladion shot the man who spoke up a glare, and soon he and the rest of the staff filed out of the room, leaving him alone with the creature.

With Moon.

Golden eyes watched him as he approached. Her arms, long and clawed, were wrapped around her torso, but Gladion saw the speed she moved- he stopped just out of her radius, a few feet away. This close, he could make out the amber lines flowing in her hair, tracing along her skin. The clawed nails of her feet and the fangs in her mouth.

And yet he could still make out the way she wore her hair in a bob, the way those fingers so easily struck a victory sign whenever she beat him. The way her cheeks would dimple when she smiled and-

She looked so much like her, acted so much like her. But did the Ultra Wormhole spit out was the woman who befriended him, or a monster that stole her face?

"What happened to you?" he asked at last, keeping one hand close to the Pokeballs on his belt.

Her eyes narrowed again, sizing him up. But it was the hostility in them that scared him the most.

Despite it all, Moon never hated him. Once, he thought it was impossible that she ever could.

She tossed her head, her dark hair and golden eyes catching the spotlight, before she paced a few feet back and said, "You tell me."

He frowned. "Moon-"

"Tell me, Gladion." What should have come out as a snap... didn't. There was a falter in her voice, a tightening of the way she hugged herself. A plea.

And hesitantly, Gladion spoke.

"I don't know," he said. "You were in the Ultra Wormhole for three weeks. After the first week, we began searching for you, but without a Pokemon able to breach the wormhole, our efforts could only pinpoint your presence, at best. We knew you were alive, but you-" He stopped, trying to ignore the way his throat clenched and heart twisted. "You were growing weaker."

Moon watched him in silence as he sighed. Squaring his shoulders, he continued, "On the third week- three days ago, there was an Ultra Wormhole breach. We don't know how it happened, or who. But we found you at the Altar of the Moone... like this."

"Like this." Moon echoed his words, holding out her hands as she studied them. He wasn't sure what thoughts passed through her mind, but the look in her eyes was distant. Haunted.

Afraid.

Instinctively, he took a step towards her, but stopped when her narrowed gaze shot back to him.

"So you found me, and instead of helping me, you chained me up." The venom in her voice was sharp, cruel.

"No," Gladion protested, his throat clenching.

"So what's this then? A new healing technique?" Moon glared at him. "This is just like what your mother did to Null-"

"No, that's not it at all!"

She flinched at his raised voice, and Gladion froze. With a deep breath, he said, "You... you attacked us. Hau. Me. You were in a frenzy. We had to restrain you, and brought you back here so that we could... keep you safe. Figure out how to help you. Before you hurt anyone else."

"W-what do you mean, _hurt_?" Moon spat out, eyes wide and body tense.

And lifting his arm, Gladion rolled down his sleeve- where a long, vicious, and obviously fresh wound circled around his arm.

There was a horrid silence, and Moon froze. Her eyes were wide, her mouth hung open, and Gladion hated it. Hated this, hated seeing Moon like this, hated feeling powerless. Hated holding Moon captive, and making excuses for doing so. He wanted to bury his head in his hands, wanted to hold Moon tight and beg her forgiveness for letting her go- wanted to be able to do something, _anything_ because this was Moon and she was the one who brought him joy and happiness, not... _this._

But then, quietly, softly... "I guess... I really do deserve to be chained up."

Moon's voice was small, and when he looked up again, her head was bowed and her shoulders were slumped. A faint smile graced her features, even though her eyes shone with nothing but pain.

"I swear, Moon, we only want to help," he began. "I didn't want any of this-"

"I know." She bit her lip, shifted her weight again. Then, gently she said, "You probably don't know if I'm still _me_ or if I'm... not, huh?"

The fear in her voice gave him pause. The eerie light that graced her skin made her hard to look at. But it was the understanding in her eyes that dug deep into his chest and tore through his heart.

Before he knew it, he had strode forward and thrown his arms around her, claws be damned. A soft, choking sound escaped Moon, and Gladion wondered if he should let her go- until she buried her head into his chest, and a shaking sob escaped her lips.

He let her cry. Let her tears soak through his shirt, her claws dig into his skin. He held her close, and it was as if that touch alone was enough to release all the tears she'd been holding at bay.

"I can't- remember all of it," she said through choking sobs. "It was dark, and cold, and it hurt and-" She shuddered, and she all but wailed, "My Pokemon, Gladion. They- they're _gone_."

The heartfelt pain in her voice was enough for his eyes to prick. He clasped her tight, didn't want to imagine what she had to go through, and yet-

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "It must have been scary, and painful, and I'm sorry you had to go through all of that alone."

"And what, you could have protected me?" There was a sniff, and as she pulled away, even though her eyes were gold and her hair was streaked with lights- she was so _Moon_ that Gladion knew his fears were for naught.

"I could have tried," he began, only for her to shake her head.

"Whatever I fought, it-" Her eyes glazed over briefly, before she pressed her forehead against his chest once more. "It was strong. You would have died, if you were with me. I... barely escaped. And if you were one more death on my conscience, I wouldn't be able to bear it."

"I can scarcely bear it, knowing that I let you leave, alone."

Moon looked up, looked at him. Her eyes shone bright with tears and pain and sadness, her face streaked with tears. And without a second more, she tugged his head down and captured his lips with hers.

It was soft and tender. Full of unsaid words and feelings. It was everything Gladion dreamed of, once. But now it hurt to know how cruel it was, to have Moon in his arms, broken and barely a visage of the woman he knew.

He'd find a way to save her. He had to, if only to give her a reason to smile once more.

Softly, she whispered, "Gladion, I'm scared."

He leaned his forehead against hers, pressed another kiss onto her lips. "I am, too," he admitted.

She whimpered, and closed her eyes, resting against his chest as he settled her down on the cold, laboratory floor. He held her close, rubbed her back until her breath slowed and her grip loosened.

And it was when she was finally asleep did he finally allow himself to cry.


End file.
